Reviews of Stimela Star
Wildlife sightings and reviews
1 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Stimela Star and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"An "experience""
On the downside, the dining coaches were fine but very tired, and certainly did not look like anything you see in the photos on the Stimela Star website - the website could do with a more realistic makeover. In addition, it was clear that customers using the train to travel between Imvelo-owned safari lodges (who just happen to run the Stimela Star) had priority over other passengers. The train had been delayed leaving Victoria Falls and it was clear that Imvelo was not going to help us very much if our connections were messed up.
Finally, as the train leaves and arrives in the dark, there is no chance of any wildlife sightings (other than a lone warthog hanging around Victoria Falls station). All in all I would probably not choose to take the train again, but it was an interesting one-off experience." See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe; 3n in Botswana
Furthermore, we have noted the likely delays to this train, and have taken steps to ensure that this doesn't cause the same problems for our future travellers.
Finally, we've revised the comments abut the train on our website to reflect the lovely polished wood and good condition of the sleeper cabins, but also the rather more dated appearance and feel of the dining and lounge cars. We appreciate that the team behind the train have kept the carriages as close to their original condition as possible, and hope that this can be part of their charm for travellers who chose to use the Stimela Star.
"Systems Manager & Senior Africa Specialist | Southern Africa"
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